Travel and orientation monitor apparatus for firefighters and rescue personnel

ABSTRACT

An apparatus carried by an individual for aiding in directing the individual to a location of a starting point for a path of travel by the individual includes a sensor for determining the individual&#39;s initial orientation at the starting point and subsequent changes of orientations during the travel; a processor coupled to the sensor for assigning one of four orthogonal directions to each of the orientations as experienced by the individual; a memory coupled to the processor for saving at least the orthogonal orientation of the initial orientation and the last experienced orientation; and a display for presenting at least the last experienced orientation to permit the individual to subsequently reorient himself in the direct of the original orientation. The apparatus has particular utility for firefighters to assist in orienting themselves with respect to an initial point of reference (POR) when inside a active firefighting location.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for monitoringthe orientation of an individual with respect to an initial location,with particular applicability for use by rescue personnel, such asfirefighters when entering and moving through a building or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the biggest concerns to the personal safety of firefighters andother rescue personnel is the loss of situational awareness while insidea structure. The buildings are often dark, providing limited forwardvisibility. Smoke emanating from a fire adds to visibility issues.Firefighters follow walls, flooring and hose lines to orient themselvesand maintain a point of reference.

A widely adapted fireground strategy relies on the memory of thefirefighter to maintain situational awareness. The sides of the firebuilding are numbered (or lettered) clockwise. For example, If thebuilding on fire was located on the southwest corner of East 79^(th)Street and 1^(st) Avenue in Manhattan, the front of the fire buildinglocated on 79^(th) Street would be labeled as side “1”; the east side ofthe building that aligns with First Avenue would be labeled as side “2”;the rear yard found in the back (south side) of the building side “3”;and the side that abuts the tire building to the west would be labeledas side “4”. As firefighters enter the fire building they wouldconstantly attempt to maintain situational awareness by building amental model of where their entrance, Side 1, is with relation to theirpath of travel, retaining side l as their point of reference. Givenextreme conditions in which the firefighter is acting, it can becomedifficult for the firefighter to retain the current orientation andposition with respect to the point of reference.

It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide aportable apparatus that allows a firefighter or other rescue personnelto enter an initial point of reference into the apparatus, the apparatussubsequently and continuously determining the orientation of thepersonnel carrying the apparatus with respect to the point of reference,thus freeing the personnel from the task of mentally maintainingorientation awareness with respect to the point of reference.

It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide such aportable apparatus which can provide an aural or visual indication ofthe user's orientation with respect to the point of reference.

Yet another purpose of the invention is to provide such a portableapparatus which allows resetting of the point of reference by the usersuch that subsequent orientation of the user is monitored and recordedwith respect to the reset point of reference.

It is yet a further purpose of the present invention to provide such anapparatus that can be integrated into protective gear worn by thefirefighter, such as a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the foregoing and other purposes, the presentinvention comprises a portable unit able to be worn by a firefighter orother personnel that may be a self-contained unit or incorporated intoan article of protective gear or other equipment. The unit comprisescircuitry, typically microprocessor-based, to establish an initial pointof reference for the unit and continuously monitor the direction ofmovement of the wearer from the point of reference. Optionally the unitmay maintain a continuously-updated record of the orientations as thewearer travels. A display is provided to indicate to the wearer thecurrent orientation of the wearer with respect to the point ofreference, or the direction that the firefighter should turn to face thepoint of reference.

The display may be selectively activated by the wearer, allowing thewearer to receive an indication of his current orientation upon demand.Upon activation, the display indicates information corresponding to thecurrent orientation of the wearer with respect to the point ofreference, to allow the user to reorient himself in the direction of thepoint of reference to facilitate the user's return to the point ofreference and his entry point into the building. The display maycomprise a series of indicators displays the current orientation of theuser needed to start to trace a return path to the point of reference.For example, the display may include a illuminable pair of arrows toindicate the direct in which the user should turn to face the point ofdeparture. Alternatively it may comprise a series of indicatorsrepresenting four numbered orthogonal directions and the direction thatthe user is currently facing so that he can reorient himself in theprimary direction, which corresponds to the point of entry.

In other embodiments, with the unit keeps a running log of the path oftravel from the point of reference, the display may provide a continuingdisplay of a set of turns that the user should make to retrace his exactpath to the point of reference. The turns can he displayed sequentially,with an indication that the turn be executed when the location of theuser is where he must make the desired turn. As the wearer retraces thepath, the unit continuously updates the display to present the nextturn, thus allowing the wearer to retrace his original path back to thepoint of reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A fuller understanding of the present invention will he obtained uponconsideration of the following detailed description of the inventionwhen reviewed in association with the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a hypothetical path of travel for afirefighter within an incident site or building:

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an alternative form of a visual display;

FIG. 4 is an elevation depiction of a representation of a mask of aself-contained breathing apparatus in phantom, illustrating the locationof a display of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation depiction of a remote gauge console for aself-contained breathing apparatus in phantom, illustrating analternative location for a display of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprehends a robust yet simple system formonitoring the travel of a personnel in need of developing a point ofreference and the personnel's orientation with respect to that point ofreference. As used in the following description, the term “firefighter”is used as a general descriptor for any individual requiring thedevelopment of a point of reference and determination of thatindividual's orientation with respect thereto, with the understandingthat the present invention is not limited in usefulness to firefighters.

FIG. 1 depicts a plan view of an illustrative building having aisles andcorridors through which a firefighter must maneuver. The side havingentrance 10 for the firefighter is generally referenced as the point ofreference 1 or A. As generally understood in the art and as used herein,the term “point of reference” (POR) is the direction which a firefighterfaces that points him back towards the side of the building having theentrance through which he came. Typically the POR is associated with thebuilding side having a doorway, but it can also reference, for example,the side having a fire escape or window through which the firefighterentered. From the POR, the remaining sides/directions are consecutivelyclockwise identified as 2 or B, 3 or C, and 4 or D, the nomenclaturegenerally corresponding to facing directions 90 degrees apart. Forexample, in FIG. 1, if the entrance doorway is on the south side of thebuilding, the POR corresponds to “south” as the firefighter would needto face south and move in a southerly direction to reach the sidethrough which he entered. As firefighters are trained how to move andmaintain a knowledge of their orientation under low visibility andotherwise stressful conditions, the firefighter's knowledge of the PORdirection and his current orientation with respect to the POR istypically all he needs to be able to return to the entrance throughwhich he entered.

As a firefighter enters the building and moves along a path 12, thefirefighter attempts to maintain a mental record of the direction he iscurrently facing. Upon entering the building the direction facing (back)to the entrance (South in the Figure) would be remembered as the POR,with his path of travel comprising segment orientations 3/C, then 2/B,followed by 3/C and 4/D, resulting from a left turn at point 14, a rightturn at point 16, and another right turn at point 18 with arrival atlocation 20. Remembering his final 4/D facing orientation with respectto that of the POR allows the firefighter in theory to work his way hackto the building side having the portal through which he entered. As maybe appreciated, as the firefighter's path of travel becomes morecomplicated, the ability to retain his proper orientation with respectto the POR becomes more difficult. The presence of smoke, coupled withconstant communication and instructions being broadcast and received bythe firefighter's radio, along with his attention being primarilyfocused on his surroundings and the job at hand, often makes PORorientation problematical.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, apparatus 22 comprises inertialposition-locating circuitry 24 which allows the unit to determine theposition and direction faced by the firefighter carrying the unit at alltimes while the apparatus is in operation. Such circuitry may comprise aGPS receiver, and/or attitude and heading reference system components asknown in the art. The output of such component(s) is coupled to anappropriate processor 26, typically microprocessor based as known in theart, to receive the initial location and heading data as well as processthe path of travel data to determine that the wearer is moving, and thusthe direction from the initial location of the unit. Heading andlocation data may he stored in Memory 28. The processor may includelogic to resolve the actual direction of travel into one of fourorthogonal directions with reference to the heading or initial directionof travel. The processor also inverts the direction of initial travel toestablish the POR direction. In FIG. 1, while the firefighter isinitially moving north, the processor establishes the oppositedirection, south, as the POR (1/A), as south is the direction which thefirefighter must move to return to the building side through which heentered. The three remaining clockwise orthogonal directions, west,north and east in the figure, are respectively assigned the 2/B, 3/C and4/D designations. Of course, it is recognized that, depending on theactual orientation of the building, the directions need not correspondto the compass direction south, west, north and east, A battery supply(not shown) provides the necessary power for the apparatus, Theapparatus may further include a charging port for the battery and aconnector (also not shown) to allow programming or updating of theprocessor. Such features are well known in the art.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the memory 28 need only storethe current direction of orientation in addition to the POR.Alternatively, however, the memory may be supplied with, and store, acontinuing log of each change of direction. Each change may be recordedas a data point and identified as either a right or left turn from theprevious direction to generate a complete record of the orientations ofthe user as he travels. The distance between data points may also bedetermined and recorded. If a change in orientation/direction isdetected without a corresponding change in location, the directionchanges associated with the location can be overwritten such that onlythe last orientation is retained. With incorporation of appropriatealtitude sensors, the apparatus 22 can also be configured to determineand record altitude changes, such as when the firefighter ascends ordescends a stairway.

With appropriate position-locating circuitry 24 it may also be possibleto record the actual geographical position of each direction change forlater recall if desired. In addition, a different degree of resolutionof direction changes may be incorporated. Instead of four directions, 90degrees apart, the apparatus may resolve direction changes into agreater number of segments, such as 45 degrees, although such greaterresolution is not presently contemplated.

Control console 30 is provided to provide the appropriate operationalcommands for the apparatus, including powering-up the apparatus;accepting the apparatus's current position as a POR and commencerecordation of travel and direction changes; stopping the recordationprocess; and potentially entering a playback mode. Entry of suchcommands may be accomplished through switches or pushbuttons. Logic maybe provided to allow a single pushbutton to control various functions,such as by entry of a single press to set a POR and commence recording,two pulses to enter a playback mode, and the like.

To confirm operation of the apparatus and to provide information to theuser, display 32 is provided. It may comprise a set of four visualindicators, corresponding to the four possible orientations and belabeled 1/A, 2/B, 3/C and 4/D to assist in identifying theirsignificance. In a first embodiment of the invention, when only thecurrent orientation on the user is stored, the corresponding light wouldbe illuminated as the firefighter travels. As the firefighter knows thatindicator 1/A corresponds to the POR and that the indicators arenumbered sequentially clockwise from the POR, the firefighter at anytime knows both the direction he is facing and its relationship to thePOR. When needed, he can use the display to help him determine a returnpath that will ultimately lead to the POR. As he returns, the displaywill continue to present his orientation to help him keep on track.

Alternatively, the display may comprise a pair of directional arrowssurrounding a “home” icon, as depicted in FIG. 3. As shown therein,right turn arrow 34 and left turn arrow 36 surround “home” indicator 38.Instead of indicating the current orientation of the firefighter, thedisplay indicates the direction must turn to face the POR. As thefirefighter executes a 90 degree turn in the designated direction, theindicators will continue to present the turn direction (if thefirefighter was oriented 180 degrees away from the POR) or, when the PORis faced, the central “home indicator 36 will be illuminated. It is tobe recognized that the POR can always be faced by continuously turningeither right or left, so the apparatus may include logic to indicate thedirection that utilizes the fewer 90 degree turns. As with the fourindicator version, the display will continue to indicate any neededturns to bring him back to the POR direction as he returns to the POR.

In an alternative embodiment, when a continuous record of travel ismaintained, the display may in a playback mode continue to monitorfirefighter's current position and provide an indication of the nextorientation (a right or left turn) from the firefighter's currentopposition to take him back to the POR along the path he originally tookto the current location. The necessary logic may need only to reversethe direction changes originally recorded to create a “breadcrumb”return path. The appropriate indicator can flash or blink when theprecise location along the original path for the turn is reached. Theprocessor can also generate an error indication when an incorrect turnis executed on the return and generate a corrective turn indication tobring the user back to the proper return path. Such indications can bepresented as appropriate on displays 32. With recordation of elevationchanges the display can be modified to include, for example, “up” and“down” indicators to indicate which way to go when the apparatusdetermines that the firefighter has reached a position, such as astairway, that requires such an elevation change.

A further embodiment may include communication means to allow wirelesscontact to be made between the apparatus and a remote location,particularly in emergency situations, providing for the transmission oftravel record data to the remote location. This would provide otherfirefighters with directional guidance to the location of the apparatusand its wearer, assisting in rescue efforts. The rescue personnel couldbe provided with a handheld device displaying the data in a manner thatwould allow them to retrace the path of the wearer to his currentlocation.

In addition to or as an alternative to a visual display, an auraldisplay system may be utilized. It can include synthesized speech totell the wearer his current orientation as it changes, as well as thenext turn direction when in a return mode. An earphone or speaker can beprovided to broadcast the sounds to the wearer. Connection between theapparatus and a radio earphone or speaker carried by the firefighter toavoid a separate transducer may be made by Bluetooth technology.

The apparatus may be housed in an enclosure that may be worn on a belt,placed in a pocket, or otherwise attached to a piece of clothing.Alternatively, it may be incorporated into a helmet or SCBA. Visualindicators may be located in the faceplate or visor of the helmet sothat they can been observed by the wearer but do not impair normalvision. In a further embodiment, the control console, direction sensorsand processor may be in a main housing, with the display in a secondaryhousing interfacing the main housing by a wireless connection such asBluetooth® technology.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate potential incorporation of the presentapparatus with visual indicators into an SCBA. FIG. 4 illustratesdisplay 32, comprising indicators A-D, incorporated into SCBA mask 38.The display is located on a periphery of the mask, facing the wearer,positioned to be towards the edge of the wearer's field of vision. FIG.5 illustrates SCBA remote control console 40 which additionallyincorporates the sensing circuitry 24, processor 26 and memory 28 of thepresent invention, along with a pushbutton 42 to engage and control thepresent apparatus. Connection between the processor and display 32 onthe mask may be made by wires running along or within the normalconduits 44 between the SCBA console and mask.

Additional functionality may be incorporated into the apparatus. Forexample, provision may be made for the entry of a second or secondaryPOR to assist in directing the firefighter to a side (and exit)different from the one originally entered into the system. This can beof value for example, when the command chief wants all firefighters tobe aware of a particular POR, such as a side bearing a main entranceinto the edifice, irrespective of the specific entry utilized by afirefighter. By use of a particular command entered through the console30, such a secondary POR can be designated. Entry of a different commandentered through the console would direct the processor to use thesecondary POR for guidance purposes, and the display 32 would thenreflect the substitution. It can be appreciated that additionalinstruction input means on the console, along with additional indicatormeans to display the change of “active” POR may be desirable tofacilitate entry and confirmation of any such POR change.

1. An portable apparatus for establishing and maintaining a record oftravel for an individual wearing the apparatus, comprising: means fordetermining an initial location of the individual, an initial directionof travel from that location and changes in direction of travel as theindividual proceeds along a path of travel from the initial location;means for storing at least the last change in direction; and means forconverting the stored direction changes into a series of directionchanges to allow the individual to retrace his path of travel to theinitial location; and a display to present such direction changes inconsecutive order to the individual.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the means for determining changes in directions resolve suchchanges into one of four mutually orthogonal directions.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein display changes comprises at least one ofa visual and aural indicator.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thedisplay comprises a visual indicator having a series of 4 lightscorresponding to the four mutually orthogonal directions.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising means of determining a distancebetween each of the changes of direction and storing the distance inassociation with the changes of direction.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4,wherein the apparatus is incorporated into a self contained breathingapparatus worn by the individual.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, whereinthe self-contained breathing apparatus includes a mask and the visualindicator is located on the mask.
 8. An apparatus carried by anindividual for aiding in directing the individual to a location of astarting point for a path of travel by the individual, comprising: asensor for determining the individual's initial orientation at thestarting point and subsequent changes of orientations during the travel;a processor coupled to the sensor for assigning one of four orthogonaldirections to each of the orientations as experienced by the individual;a memory coupled to the processor for saving at least the orthogonalorientation of the initial orientation and the last experiencedorientation; and a display for presenting at least the last experiencedorientation to permit the individual to subsequently reorient himself inthe direct of the original orientation.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8,wherein the processor assigns an initial orthogonal orientation to theoriginal orientation that is the inverse of the original orientation.10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the original orientation is thedirection in which an individual is facing upon entry into a buildingthrough an entrance whereby the initial orthogonal orientation is thedirection to exit the building through the entrance.
 11. The apparatusof claim 12, further including control means to activate the sensor todetermine the initial and subsequent orientations.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the orthogonal directions are identified sequentiallyin a clockwise direction from the direction of the original orientation,the display comprising four indicators corresponding to and identifiedas the four orthogonal directions.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, whereinthe display comprises right and left tum indicators, the processordetermining a direction that the individual must tum at his presentlocation along the travel to face in the direction of the originalorientation and activating the indicator corresponding to the determineddirection.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the display furtherincludes an indicator corresponding to the direction of the originalorientation and the processor activates that indicator when theindividual is facing the direction of the original orientation.
 15. Amethod of assisting an individual to return to an initial point ofreference after embarking on a path a travel therefrom to an endpoint,comprising the steps of: a. identifying the initial point of referenceand an initial direction of departure therefrom and storing thatdirection in a database; b. monitoring the path of travel to theendpoint to determine each change of direction; c. storing each changeof direction in the database; d. calculating an inverse series ofdirection changes from the stored changes in direction to determine apath of travel back to the initial point of reference; and e. displayingin a sequential manner the inverse series of direction changes to theindividual; wherein each of steps a-d is performed by a portableapparatus worn by the individual.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe display of the inverse series of direction is performed by at leastone of a visual or aural indicator.
 17. The method of claim 15, whereinthe step of determining each change of direction includes resolving eachdirection change into an orthogonal change for storage.
 18. (canceled)